عَن الْبَراء بن عَازِب
قَالَ: جَاءَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: عَلِّمْنِي عَمَلًا يُدْخِلُنِي الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ: «لَئِنْ كُنْتَ أَقْصَرْتَ الْخُطْبَةَ لَقَدْ أَعْرَضْتَ الْمَسْأَلَةَ أَعْتِقِ النَّسَمَةَ وَفك الرَّقَبَة».
قَالَ: أَو ليسَا وَاحِدًا؟ قَالَ: «لَا عِتْقُ النَّسَمَةِ: أَنْ تَفَرَّدَ بِعِتْقِهَا وَفَكُّ الرَّقَبَةِ: أَنْ تُعِينَ فِي ثَمَنِهَا وَالْمِنْحَةَ: الْوَكُوفَ وَالْفَيْءَ عَلَى ذِي الرَّحِمِ الظَّالِمِ فَإِنْ لَمْ تُطِقْ ذَلِكَ فَأَطْعِمِ الْجَائِعَ وَاسْقِ الظَّمْآنَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَانْهَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ فَإِنْ لم تطق فَكُفَّ لِسَانَكَ إِلَّا مِنْ خَيْرٍ»
Al-Bara ibn Azib told of a desert Arab who came to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and said, “Teach me an action which will bring me into paradise.” He replied, “You have asked a large question in few words. Emancipate, a man and set free a slave.”
He asked if the two were not the same thing, and he replied, “No; emancipating a man is doing it by yourself, and setting free a slave is contributing towards his price. You must also lend for milking a she-camel which has much milk and be well disposed towards a relative who does wrong. If you cannot do that, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, recommend what is reputable and forbid what is disreputable.
And if you cannot do that, restrain your tongue from everything but what is good.” Baihaqi transmitted it in Shuab al-iman.